Chemistry and Other Sciences
by sasha1600
Summary: Part of the Future Perfect universe.  Things don't go quite as planned when Katie goes out for a drink after work with her colleagues.
1. Chapter 1

**Chemistry and Other Sciences**

**Summary: **Part of the Future Perfect universe. Things don't go quite as planned when Katie goes out for a drink after work with her colleagues.

**Disclaimer:** Tony isn't mine; everyone else is.

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><p>AN: This is part of my Future Perfect series, which features Katie and Leigh, the twin daughters of Tim and Abby. This takes place sometime after Girl Talk.

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><p>Tony looks around the debris-strewn bar and sighs. Lots of witnesses, which is good. But also a lot of people to interview, which is bad. And the Metro police officer who's bringing him up to speed doesn't seem to understand the concept of getting to the point.<p>

It's pretty straight-forward, really. Junkie looking for the money to buy his next fix decides to rob a bar, and starts waving a gun around. And is too stupid, or too strung-out, to notice that it's a bar populated mainly by Marines, many of whom are still wearing their BDUs, so it's not exactly easy to miss. And isn't satisfied with the cash that the terrified server hands over, and gets off two shots – shattering several bottles and catching an unfortunate mounted deer's head right between the eyes – before he's tackled by several Marines. And cracks his head open against the floor and is dead before the ambulance gets there.

This wouldn't normally be his problem, but with half the office down with the flu, even the major case teams have to help out with the sorts of things that wouldn't usually rate their attention. So now he gets to spend the better part of all damn night interviewing a room full of Marines in varying stages of drunkenness so he can fill in the paperwork declaring that nobody still alive did anything wrong.

_I wonder how the Director would react if I just say it's a potential Darwin Award?_ he thinks to himself.

The guy from Metro finally shuts up, and Tony sends his agents off in various directions to start collecting witness statements. Turning towards the large tableful of people he'd assigned to himself, he casts a more careful eye over the group. _Marine, Marine, Marine's girlfriend, Marine..._ he observes silently with the confidence of long experience working with the military as his gaze travels down the table. His step falters and he blinks hard, hoping he isn't seeing what he thinks he's seeing. But nothing is different when his vision clears.

Eight Marines. Two girlfriends. One boyfriend.

And Katie.

_Perfect_.


	2. Chapter 2

_Three hours earlier_

Katie looked around the over-crowed, noisy bar and sighed. It wasn't the kind of place where she'd usually spend a Friday night, but a group of her temporary co-workers had talked her into joining them for an after-work beer.

She'd been surprised how well she got along with this group of people. _Who'd have thought that she'd spend more time socialising with a bunch of Marines, than she did with the geeks at her real job?_ she thought.

Carefully avoiding making eye contact with the murdered deer that was glaring accusingly at her from the opposite wall, she took a sip of her drink and joined in on the lively conversation.

A few minutes later she felt a tug on her arm and looked over her shoulder to find Bryson Thomas gesturing animatedly.

'C'mon, McGee. I need a female partner.'

'What?' she demanded distrustfully, eyeing the small dance floor. The Marine captain had been flirting with her for weeks.

She was only slightly reassured to learn that Thomas had challenged a rival from another office to a pool game, and that the challenge had been accepted on the condition that they each play with a 'girl' as a partner.

'What? No! Ask Alison,' she suggested, willingly throwing the cheerful lieutenant with whom she often ate lunch to the wolves. 'I've never even played...'

Thomas shook his head.

'She's too drunk. You'll be fine...' he assured her, pulling her to her feet. 'You're a scientist. And that...' he declared, pointing at the pool table, 'is physics.'


	3. Chapter 3

Tony flips to a fresh page in his notebook and waits for Katie to answer his question.

'I didn't see anything, Uncle Tony.'

He raises one eyebrow.

'You grew up in family of investigators, and you don't pay attention during an armed robbery?'

'I didn't have a chance to pay attention!' she protests indignantly. 'I was looking at the pool table, trying to figure out how to make my next shot, and I had my back to the door. Then someone called out 'gun!' and before I could even turn around, I was getting shoved behind that thing!' she gripes, gesturing over her shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

'B-R-Y-S-O-N,' he spells out, warily eyeing the man taking down his information. He hasn't figured out how this agent fits into McGee's extended family, but it's pretty obvious from their interaction when he showed up that he does somehow.

'So, Captain Thomas, were you involved in the scrimmage?'

'No, Sir.'

'Really? You the only Marine in this place that didn't want a piece of him?'

'No, Sir. But I was with a civilian. By the time I made sure she was safe and got over there, it was all over.'

'So you're the one who pushed Dr. McGee behind the Blast-o-rama?' the agent asks, tilting his head in the direction of the arcade game that stands farther than usual from the wall, either for ventilation or so the staff can reach the electrical outlet to unplug it at night.

'Yessir. It's not ideal cover, but it's the best that was available...'

He trails off briefly mid-sentence, disconcerted by the agent's appraising scrutiny.

'Anyway, I made sure she crouched down as much as possible and told her to stay put, and...

_Dammit! _he thought to himself. _I haven't even talked her into going out with me yet, and I've got a guy with a gun glaring at me!_

'... to keep her head down, then I went to see if the other guys needed a hand...'

_Oh, man, does he think I should have stayed with her?_

'...but they already had him on the ground and I couldn't even really see much, with the crowd...'

_Just great_... _first I meet her godfather in a hospital because she tripped over my book and sprained her wrist, and now whoever-this-is can report back that I took her on a not-really-a-date to a crime scene! I am so screwed with this family..._


End file.
